Potentially life-threatening wind chills
Frostbite and hypothermia possible for those without proper protection from the cold. Frostbite can occur in as little as 30 minutes for unprotected skin.
Possible increase in fires and carbon monoxide exposure from alternative heating sources
Possible vehicle failure
Possible water main breaks and pipe bursts

Next week

There is the potential for a strong coastal storm to affect the Commonwealth Tuesday into Wednesday. This system could bring plowable snowfall, very gusty winds, coastal flooding and marine issues. There is still a lot of uncertainty with this system and MEMA will closely monitor the forecasts over the weekend.

MEMA operations

The State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) at MEMA Headquarters in Framingham is currently operating at Level 1 (Steady State Monitoring). MEMA will continue to monitor the situation and issue additional Situational Awareness Statements as needed.

Preparedness and safety information

· Preparedness and safety information for winter storms is available at: http://www.mass.gov/eopss/agencies/mema/emergencies/winter-storms/

· Safety tips for driving during winter weather are available at: http://www.mass.gov/eopss/agencies/mema/emergencies/winter-storms/driving.html

· Preparedness and safety information for extreme cold is available at: http://www.mass.gov/eopss/agencies/mema/emergencies/cold/

· Safety tips on protecting homes from heating fires are available at: http://www.mass.gov/keepwarmkeepsafe

Stay informed

Utilize Massachusetts Alerts to receive emergency notifications and information from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency and the National Weather Service. Massachusetts Alerts is a free app that is available for Android and iPhones. To learn more about Massachusetts Alerts, and for information on how to download the free app onto your smartphone, visit: www.mass.gov/mema/mobileapp

Utilize MEMA’s real-time power outage viewer to stay informed about current power outages in your community and region, and across the state, including information from utility companies about restoration times: http://mema.mapsonline.net/public.html

Utilize MEMA’s live weather radar and forecasting tools, including the live snowfall forecast map: http://memamaps.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=0da6e4d888b74317b52b7a5064aa3dc2